


Part of the Family

by neapeaikea



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Derek Hale & Sheriff Stilinski Bonding, Derek Hale & Sheriff Stilinski Friendship, Developing Relationship, M/M, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-03 00:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19452418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neapeaikea/pseuds/neapeaikea
Summary: Derek wants to be upfront with the sheriff about his and Stiles' relationship. He also wants more than just a relationship.





	Part of the Family

**Author's Note:**

> This was born out of my love for Derek and the sheriff bonding. They have a pure and gruff camraderie that I love reading, and writing. It took a couple of tries, but I think the story ended up somwhere good. It also ended up with talkative boys, but sometimes they gotta have functioning communcation. Feedback is lovingly drooled on!

  


”Does your father know you’re bi?” Derek asks one evening as they’re watching a Mets game together at Derek’s loft.

Stiles keeps looking at the game, “Sure. Why?”

Derek considers telling Stiles to forget about it. But then he remembers how guilty he felt earlier that day when the sheriff asked if he had plans for the weekend. He clears his throat, “Just, you know, this is our third date.”

“Oh no, not this again. We said we weren’t gonna tell anyone, especially not my father, until one month in. Because we want to know that we’ll even make it a month.” Stiles reminds him.

Derek nods, and lets the matter lie. He’s one hundred per cent sure they’ll make it a month, and hundreds of more months ‘til one of them bites the dust, but Stiles seems reluctant to believe things can be serious between them.

The game carries on, the next batter walking up. Derek’s startled when Stiles sighs dramatically beside him.

“Oh my god, I can sense your guilt from here.”

“I don’t like lying to him.” Derek explains.

Stiles folds one of his legs under him, shifting around to sit facing Derek. “You are not lying to him. You’re just not telling him we’re dating. Trust me, it’ll be better for everyone if this blows up in our faces.”

Derek doesn’t like that implication, and he doesn’t like Stiles’ sarcastic grin but he doesn’t want to turn this into a fight so he rolls his eyes and pulls Stiles into his side. Stiles settles surprisingly quickly, happy to tug Derek’s arm firmly around him. 

It calms Derek’s nerves. He’s been nervous around Stiles for months. Ever since Stiles made them go on an ironic Valentine’s date together and Derek started thinking about how nice it would be to take Stiles on a real date. He finally mustered up the courage to tell Stiles about it three weeks ago, and pretty much got a door slammed in his face. Two hours later Stiles called to apologize and ask questions about how any dating between them would work. Luckily, Derek’s blundering attempts at relaxed and carefree hadn’t scared Stiles off.

At the end of the night, as Stiles is putting on his jacket to leave, he says, “You know, you could tell him you’re dating someone but you don’t want to say too much in case it doesn’t pan out.” 

Derek would’ve rather had their fifteen minute make-out session as the ending of the date, and not Stiles reminding him he apparently has an expiration date set for them. “Yeah, sure.”

Stiles narrows his eyes at him, like he might want to challenge that statement, but in the end he pulls Derek in for another kiss before sailing out the door. They’ve been doing that a lot since deciding to date, not calling each other out, where before when they were just friends they would hassle each other about everything. Derek’s hit with the sudden realization that maybe Stiles doesn’t want to start fights neither, maybe he’s nervous too about what’s going on between them. 

**

Derek’s been a deputy with the Beacon County Sheriff’s Department for five years now, after finally realizing he never feel more at home than he does in Beacon Hills. He spent his late teens and early twenties travelling and starting studies he didn’t finish. These days he thinks he wasted a lot of time, but back then he thought he needed it to find something to fill the hole in his life that the fire that killed most of his family had caused. It was Cora’s phone call from the holding cell at the sheriff’s station that made Derek realize he was fucking up as a brother, and brought him back to Beacon Hills. Deciding to stick around for her sake progressively transformed into sticking around for his own sake. 

Most of the people Derek had known before the fire and the chaos that followed it weren’t a part of his life anymore, mostly because of Derek, so he somehow got roped into Cora’s group of friends and that’s how he met Stiles. They hated each other on sight and were close friends a year later. 

Being around Stiles meant hearing a lot about the sheriff, and it also meant friendly nods and small talks with the sheriff himself. Derek’s not sure when he decided law enforcement was for him, but he had a long talk with John before applying to the police academy. It was the first of many talks between them during his training, John helping out more than necessary by answering Derek’s questions about random arrest scenarios and offering him work experience at the station. No one said it out loud, but it was pretty clear John was grooming him to be a deputy in Beacon County, and it was equally clear Derek was happy about it. 

It’s that cordial relationship that they’ve built over time that makes Derek nervous about telling John he’s in love with his son. John seems to like Derek enough, but will he like Derek if he knows he likes to get naked with his son? Whenever Derek thinks about that, his gut clenches. If he can only make John see that he’d never planned to fall for Stiles, that it had just happened, and that it’s more about his smarts, loyalty and humor rather than his admittedly fantastic looks and body, then maybe John will accept it. But Stiles doesn’t want anyone to know about them just yet, and that means Derek only has more time to worry about John going ballistic about betrayal and disrespect. 

**

“Last night my son informed me that it’s been 28 days since his first date with you.”

Derek splutters, pulling his water bottle away from his mouth so quickly that water goes flying everywhere and he has to cough and spit to make sure nothing goes down the wrong pipe. They’re in John’s office, and Derek thought they were just killing time on a rather slow Tuesday, eating their sandwiches and talking about Mr. Griffin’s continued reporting of urinating dogs. 

John doesn’t even bother hiding the shit-eating grin plastered all over his face. 

“Sir – I…” Derek begins.

“He also informed me after only 28 days and not 31 because apparently February is an often overlooked month, and you’ve wanted to tell me since before the first date.”

Derek hates that he is smitten with Stiles for compromising downwards three days because he knows Derek has been growing more and more tired of the situation. At the same time he kinda hates Stiles for not giving him a heads-up about a conversation that apparently happened some eighteen hours ago.

“Did he, uh, say anything else?” Derek asks cautiously.

John leans back in his desk chair. “Oh, you know him, talks a mile a minute. I think for the benefit of this conversation I should let you know I’m apparently not allowed to make you miserable, or treat you differently at the station. Which you should know I wouldn’t anyway. This is work, and I don’t care who you date, you’re still gonna be here on time, you’re gonna file all your paperwork and you’re gonna accept whomever I deem fit as your partner.”

Derek’s not had a permanent partner for the last three years. It’s due to a combination of him being the last one in and his tendency to snap at people after being cooped up in a car with them for hours on end. 

“Absolutely, sir, I wouldn’t expect anything else.” Derek demurs, unable to hold John’s gaze for more than half a second.

“The ‘sir’ thing is gonna get old pretty quickly, son. It’s still John, or sheriff. For what it’s worth, I don’t mind the two of you dating. Stiles seems happy, and that’s all that matters. You seem happy too.”

“I am.” Derek ducks his head, hoping the blush on his cheeks isn’t too noticeable. 

John makes some sort of huffing noise in the back of his throat, and goes back to his sandwich.

**

Stiles can’t keep his laughter down, “Oh come on!”

“It wasn’t funny! I nearly died!” Derek protests.

“Oh, you did not! So, you choked on some water, big deal.” Stiles rolls his eyes. He stops laughing for all of one second, then grabs at Derek again.

Derek rolls away, then quickly back, lunging for Stiles. He’s aware that telling Stiles off for being a dickhead probably comes off as less-than-serious when they’re play-wrestling on Derek’s bed. But, they are almost naked so Derek doesn’t care.

“How ‘bout this, you can tell everyone else and tell them it’s my fault they’re only finding out now.” Stiles offers.

“It is your fault!”

Stiles pushes his weight down on Derek, effectively pinning him. His big eyes search Derek’s for a moment. “I wanted something for us. And I didn’t want to have to explain to everyone how I managed to fuck it up. We’ve been friends how long? I meant what I said when we started this, if this goes haywire, it’s gonna mess me up because you’re that big a part of my life already. I couldn’t bear having to tell everyone about that.”

“Hey,” Derek presses a kiss to Stiles’ forehead, “you haven’t fucked it up, and you won’t. I won’t let you, ‘cos I want this too much.”

Stiles ducks his head, hiding a shy grin. “Just be patient with me, okay? I need, for once, to take my time in a relationship.” 

“Sounds good to me.”

“You’re good to me.” Stiles says quietly, fingers splayed over Derek’s stomach.

Derek’s heart swells in a way he didn’t even know it could and it’s too much. He puts his hand over Stiles’ and says just as quietly back, “That’s the cheesiest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Stiles grins instantly, “You’re damn fucking right it is.”

**

They last well past a month before they really argue, and even then Derek’s not worried they’re going to break up. They don’t, because they both make attempts at using words and being understanding and it’s all worth it even if Derek feels like he had to compromise more than Stiles did. It’s awfully clear they’ve both gone to therapy for chunks of their lives. 

Making it past their first argument feels like it solidifies the relationship, as do the clothes they keep at each other’s places and the weekends spent together doing nothing special. They have dinner with John a few times, and with Cora. But even in the months after that, Stiles still pulls away sometimes, still jokes about a future where they’re not together, and still confuses Derek. 

“I asked you ages ago about this week, _this_ Thursday and Friday.” Derek doesn’t want to yell, but it’s kind of hard when Stiles is packing a bag, and not to go away with Derek.

“And I forgot about that when I accepted this speaking gig, but this is a big deal for me.” Stiles says. He works as a crisis management consultant, which Derek mostly understands what it is, and there’s some conference in San Jose that apparently is more important than the getaway Derek thought they had agreed upon. 

“I get that, but you keep forgetting to tell me things!” Derek gets more pissed the more he remembers Stiles’ tendency to be late, or to ditch plans last minute because of other engagements. “You know, if you didn’t want to go away with me, you could’ve just said.”

“That’s not it at all!” Stiles protests, raising his voice too.

“You keep saying you’re gonna fuck this up between us, yeah, well, I guess you are.” Derek knows it’s too harsh, but he can’t stop himself from saying it. The silence is deafening. Derek can’t look at Stiles, too ashamed to have thrown that out there. But Stiles isn’t denying it, isn’t telling Derek to go fuck himself. It makes the anger give way to fear. “Fuck.” 

“Derek…” Stiles starts. He gestures helplessly, then takes determined steps to Derek and reaches for his hands. “I didn’t know you were that upset. About stuff.”

Derek takes a moment to clear his head, to find the words that will explain what he’s feeling. It’s something he’s worked on for years now, and he’s had a lot of practice since getting together with Stiles. “I haven’t been with someone for this long, like ever.” Derek eventually settles on. “It’s been six months, and I thought we could be one of those couples that celebrates that. I’ve never celebrated anything with a partner. Christmas is coming up and we won’t see each other then so I wanted to spend some time together.” 

“Wait, what?” Stiles interrupts him. “Of course we’ll see each other for Christmas, what are you talking about?”

“Yeah, we’ll see each other, but we won’t celebrate together and–”

“No, no, what are you talking about?” Stiles looks confused, which Derek is loath to admit is a pretty attractive look on him. “You and Cora are spending it with Dad and me.”

“We are?” Derek asks, utterly confused and probably not carrying it as well as Stiles is. 

Stiles bites his lip, “Well, I mean, I figured? Since it’s usually just me and him, and I know you and Cora do your thing, but it’s your birthday too and I probably should’ve brought this up with you sooner. Which seems to be a recurring theme here. So, I’m an idiot and I’m sorry.”

Derek has seconds to decide whether to let the argument go or keep pushing. “I’ll check with Cora, but yeah, that sounds good. But like, that’s what you need to think about, please? That I may have plans, or other people involved might be affected when you make plans. It’s not just you anymore, I’m here too.”

Stiles looks genuinely upset, “I’m an ass, okay? An ass. I have the best boyfriend ever and I don’t want to fuck this up. I swear.”

Derek’s glad he pushed, because for the first time, Stiles implied he wants to them to stay together forever. 

Derek ends up going on an overnight fishing trip with John instead, and they share multiple laughs over Stiles’ annoyed texts about them spending time together without him, and the shit weather in San Jose and how he barely has time to eat because of all the schmoozing he has to do. Derek hesitates about starting a group chat for the three of them, but decides to go for it. He and John both send Stiles pictures of the beers they’re having in the sun, joking about enjoying the quiet they wouldn’t have if Stiles was there. Stiles tells them to go fuck themselves in several gifs and John chuckles at it all. The group chat is used again to organize Christmas and Derek is relieved he didn’t overstep. 

**

After a year together, Stiles finally gives up his lease and moves in with Derek. They’ve been switching between apartments depending on Derek’s shift schedule at the station and neither of them has really liked it much. Derek gets a thrill from preparing for Stiles to really live at the loft with him, and enjoys the first period of moving furniture around, putting Stiles’ artwork up and mixing their cutlery. Stiles says he likes it too, but quickly stops noticing when Derek makes little changes. Derek is a little bothered that Stiles doesn’t seem as invested in their home decorating as he is, but he tells himself people just have different interests and it’s not indicative of how Stiles views their relationship. After all, Stiles is the one that always says goodbye with a ‘love you’ and the one that brings home random pastries from the bakery just ‘to treat his man’ as he puts it. 

“He’s good for you.” Cora says one late spring evening, nodding over at Stiles. “You’re good for him.”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” Derek mutters into his beer, looking at Stiles too. He’s standing with Isaac, gesturing wildly as he speaks with his friend.

They’re at Cora’s tiny house, celebrating her birthday with a few close friends like she prefers. The Hale siblings are dissimilar in many ways, but preferring small crowds is something they have in common. They also both prefer dogs to cats, act like they’re tougher than they are and love pizza. It’s been a rocky road for them since the fire but living in the same town again has gotten them a long way.

Derek never worried about Cora being upset he dated a friend of hers, and the few comments she has made about them has been supportive and pleased. Cora’s one to roll with the changes and she’s not even blinked at Derek and Stiles being a couple.

“I’m not.” Cora says, bumping their shoulders together where they’re sitting on the small back porch. Her new puppy, Ollie, is sleeping in her lap so her movement is careful and slow. “When you told me you were dating, I thought it made a lot of sense. You’re both stubborn assholes–”

Derek snorts but doesn’t argue.

“–you like working out, like sarcasm even more and you’ve both got this thing where you get into moods and need people to pull you out of them, but you hate it when someone tries. Except I got a feeling you don’t get mad when it’s him, and vice versa.” 

“It’s not like we love working out.” Derek decides to stick to the safer topics. When he and Cora are brave enough to bring up actual feelings, things can get shaky, and he doesn’t want to upset her on her birthday. “We hardly ever do it together.”

Cora laughs, “You spend hours in the gym every week! He runs like, five miles a day.”

“You’re in the gym too!” 

“Not the point.” 

They’re interrupted by Ollie punching his front paws in the air and both coo adoringly at him.

**

“You’re fucking kidding me! You did not!”

Derek glances amusedly towards the sleeping loft. It’s impressive that Stiles can be so loud that Derek hears him all the way from the sofa downstairs. He wonders if that means the neighbors can hear them have sex. Stiles has been loudly on the phone for a while now. He’d accepted the call on the sofa next to Derek but had fallen quiet and awkwardly climbed the stairs after a minute and has been intermittently yelling at whomever he’s speaking with ever since. 

Derek’s curious about the conversation, no use in denying that, but he can keep his focus on the book in front of him since he knows Stiles will spill two seconds after hanging up. With how excited he seems to be, there’s no way he’s not going to tell Derek about it. Derek thought Stiles already told him everything before they got together, but boy was he wrong. Since becoming boyfriends, Stiles tells him _everything_ he deems of even the slightest interest. Derek in turn has started sharing more and more random anecdotes from his day that he’s always thought could be of no interest to anyone but that Stiles laps up with laughter and sometimes outrage.

Around fifteen minutes later, Stiles comes back down and though he might not be jumping on the spot he has an eager energy around him like he’s almost vibrating. He pauses by the sofa and takes a deep breath. Derek closes his book.

“What I’m going to tell you is mind blowing.” Stiles says dramatically, “Like, next level kamikaze shit.”

Derek raises an eyebrow, “I didn’t know there were levels to kamikaze.”

Stiles glares at him warningly, “Watch it, ‘cos you’ll want to know this.”

Derek holds his hands up in mock surrender. 

“That was Isaac on the phone. He was on a date last night. With…” Stiles pauses for effect and he takes so much pleasure from it, it’s almost embarrassing, “…your sister Cora.”

“Oh. Yeah, she told me.” Derek shrugs, and he’s honestly a bit disappointed it wasn’t juicier gossip than that.

Stiles’ eyes quite literally bug out. “She told you?! When?”

“Yesterday. She sent me a text.”

“A text?” Stiles waves his arms around, half accusatory, half incredulous. His voice has gone an octave higher. “Honey, dearest, love, you’re supposed to tell me that shit! That is need-to-know information!”

“I’m sorry?” Derek says uncertainly. 

“Well, what did she say?” Stiles huffs, crossing his arms. 

“She just sent me a text that they’d gone on a date and that they’d probably go on another one and I wasn’t allowed to ask questions since I didn’t tell her about dating you at first. Which I replied was fair enough.” Derek says. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable talking about my kid sister like this.”

Stiles sits down next to Derek and narrows his eyes at him, “So you don’t want to know what Isaac said about your _kid_ sister?”

Derek fights not to give anything away. Isaac’s a nice guy even if he gives off douche vibes at times. Cora does too, so they’re evenly matched there, and they’re both judgmental as fuck and come with a ton of baggage. Derek thinks they might work together. But if Isaac isn’t in it for the right reasons, isn’t it Derek’s job to protect his sister?

Stiles must read something on his face despite Derek’s best efforts because he snorts, “Yeah, I thought so. You’ll be happy to hear he’s over the moon. I had to stop him from waxing lyrical about the way she chews and how her hair looked. He’s a goner for sure.”

Derek is pleased to hear that, “That’s good. Not sure I wanna know more. I should probably wait ‘til Cora brings it up again.”

“You are no fun.” Stiles sighs. “This is primo gossip, and your sister is involved. You need to remember this for the toast at their wedding.”

“I’ll let you handle that.” Derek says.

“You’re her brother.” Stiles points out.

“You’re her brother-in-law, and much, much better at telling stories.”

Stiles scoffs, “No, I’m not. We’re not married.”

“We’ll be married before them, though.” Derek says.

Stiles’ whole body seizes up before he shudders. He stares at Derek in silence, eyes wider than ever but face otherwise carefully blank. Derek starts to worry that maybe he’s fucked up. He’s thought about it a lot recently, them taking that step. Derek has known for a long time Stiles is it for him, that even the bad times will be good because they’ll be with Stiles and they’ll figure it out together. They’ve never really talked about it though, and maybe Derek should’ve gauged Stiles’ feelings on the matter a little closer before springing it on him.

“I’m kinda working up the courage to ask you.” Derek says softly, trying to be as non-confrontational about it as possible.

“Oh my god, why would you ever want to do that?” Stiles puts his head in his hands.

“Do what?” Derek wonders, the words masking the disappointment spreading through him like a storm. 

“Marry me.” Stiles mumbles into his hands. 

“Uhm, because I love you?”

Stiles laughs, but it’s not happy or pleased, it’s mean and bitter, “That never works out. People who think it’s only about love are deluding themselves.”

“I know it takes more than that,” Derek snaps, “but it’s a pretty important part, don’t you think?”

“I don’t wanna argue about this, not now.” Stiles gets up, avoids Derek’s eyes, “I gotta get to dad’s. Your shift starts at ten, right?”

“Yeah.” Derek feels like he’s been punched. 

“Well, I don’t know if I’ll be back by then, so be safe, ‘kay?”

Derek nods, picks up his book and opens it up to where he’d been reading. He can’t tell one word from the other and doesn’t turn the page once during the minutes Stiles spends running around getting his things together before rushing out the door. Derek tries not to let his mind focus on the fact that Stiles hadn’t left with a ‘love you’ thrown over his back.

**

Manning the dispatch desk at night is often a tedious fight against sleep. Fortunately for Derek, he has the conversation with Stiles to overanalyze, and he stays awake all night trying to understand why Stiles so quickly ran out of their apartment. Derek barely managed to say the word ‘marriage’ before Stiles hightailed it out of there. He’s decided to use what he learned in therapy, and focus on how things can improve rather than blow up. 

Barely anything happens that night. Only two calls come in, one drunken disorderly and one cab customer that won’t pay his fare. Derek plays solitaire on the computer and thinks about who of him and Stiles should apologize to whom until he has a headache. 

Around six thirty in the morning, the day shift personnel starts filing in and they all give him a friendly nod or a quick greeting before heading to the locker rooms. Only one person actually approaches the counter Derek’s stationed behind. 

Derek sighs, he can tell who it is from the footfall alone. He gets out of his chair and joins the sheriff at the counter. 

John levels a look at Derek. “I have a nearly 30-year-old son at my house, freaking out about you proposing to him.”

“Technically, I haven’t.” Derek points out.

“I know, he’s made that clear too.”

Derek sighs, looks away. He’s embarrassed John knows what happened yesterday, that Derek more or less got told to not get his hopes up about marriage. “Did he stay the night?”

“Yeah. I would’ve sent him packing if you weren’t on the night shift.”

Derek nods. Stiles has spent the night at his dad’s before when Derek’s had the night shift, it’s not a sign that Stiles is going to move out.

John’s sigh turns into a yawn, and he rubs a hand over his face. “He’s being an immature and selfish brat right now, but he’ll come around. As far as I’m concerned you’re already part of the family, son.”

Derek stares straight ahead, the words ringing in his head. 

“Derek? Son? You okay?” John frowns when Derek doesn’t really react.

Parrish walks past them on his way to the locker room, “What’d you do to him?”

“I’m not sure.” John answers, “I think I broke him.”

Parrish laughs, “Maybe he fell asleep with open eyes.”

John makes a frustrated noise like he’s surrounded by idiots, but joins Parrish to walk further inside the station, leaving Derek to reboot his brain in solitude.

**

Derek takes longer than usual to get home after his shift. Not knowing if he’ll come home to an empty apartment or not, he decides to go through his locker for old shit to toss or clothes to launder. A raised eyebrow from his boss finally makes him give up.

Seeing Stiles’ car in the parking lot outside their apartment building calms him much more than he thought, all the tension he’s been carrying all night seeping out of him but replaced with a fear that another confrontation is going to happen. But Stiles is home, that’s the important part.

Derek takes the elevator up because four flights of stairs feel unsurmountable right now. He unlocks the door and barely has it open all the way before he sees, and hears, Stiles coming towards him from inside. 

“Hi,” Stiles pulls him into a hug, “I’m sorry I left without saying I love you. That was shitty.”

“Yeah.” Derek sighs because he agrees, but mostly because it feels good to have Stiles’ arms around him.

Stiles chuckles, “You tired?”

“Long night.” Derek explains, pulling away to get his jacket off.

“Yeah. I had one of those too. Listen, Derek, I didn’t mean–”

“Can we do this after I sleep? I don’t want to say anything stupid because I’m sleep deprived.” Derek’s kinda astonished he’s asking for time, but he’s proud he’s standing his ground. 

Stiles looks like he wants to keep talking, but nods after a moment, “Yeah. That might be a good idea.”

Derek moves in for another hug and kisses Stiles, “I love you too.”

**

Derek’s out like a light the minute he lays down in bed, body as tired as his brain despite not having done much all night. He didn’t shower and barely got undressed, so when he wakes up he feels warm and has a light sheen of sweat covering his upper body.

“Good afternoon.” Stiles says.

Derek blinks himself fully awake, takes in the sight of Stiles on his side of the bed, closing his laptop. “Hey.”

Stiles leans over the side of the bed to drop the laptop onto the floor, then rolls back so he’s on his side facing Derek. 

“What time’s it?” Derek asks a little slurred.

“’Round three.”

Derek should try to get another hour or two of sleep but he knows there’s no point trying to fall back asleep now, thoughts about the impending conversation already spinning. 

“Dad texted me earlier.” Stiles starts. “Said he might have broken you, which I really don’t know what it’s supposed to mean. But he told me to get my shit together.”

Derek snorts.

“Last night he said the same, more or less. I don’t know what I was thinking going over there looking for support. I don’t know what I was thinking at all, I shouldn’t have run out on you like that. I’m really sorry.” Stiles looks very contrite, and his movements are careful like he’s not sure Derek will welcome any touches.

“I thought we were past all that bullshit.” Derek sighs. “I get that I sprung the marriage talk on you, but you can’t be surprised I’m thinking long-term when it comes to us.”

“I’m not,” Stiles hurries to reassure, “and I do too, it was just… a knee-jerk reaction, I guess. Leave them before they leave you, you know?”

Derek frowns, “What do you mean ‘leave you’? You’re contradicting yourself. You think this is long-term but you think I’m gonna leave?” Derek feels very awake for someone who woke up less than five minutes ago.

Stiles swallows, looks away. The kicker is when he also moves away, shifting up on the bed to sit with his back against the wall. “I… Ever since mom died, I’m terrified of losing dad too.”

When Stiles doesn’t continue, Derek reaches for his hand, is glad when Stiles grabs it like a life-line. “Yeah?”

“You’re a cop too.” Stiles shrugs. “I’ve maybe… been a bit dishonest about how much that freaks me out. You know, about what could happen.”

“Stiles,” Derek exhales, shuffling closer to scoop him up in his arms, “you should’ve told me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to feel guilty, or to change your job. I know how much it means to you, being on the force, and I’m super proud of you. I guess I just… hate it sometimes too. And that makes me feel guilty.”

“Don’t. It’s natural to worry about people you love. Feelings are complicated.”

Stiles snorts, “How long were you in therapy for?”

Derek grins at him, “About as long as you.”

Stiles sighs, shifts around to settle against Derek’s side. “So yeah… You mentioning marriage made me freak out that I could lose another family member at any time.”

Derek rubs a thumb over Stiles’ wrist, “Family. That’s what your dad said to me today. That I was part of the family.”

“Yeah, and?”

“You don’t get it.” Derek stops moving his thumb. “I don’t have a family. Not really, not since the fire. I have Cora, and I love her, but I fucked up so bad with her and we’re still struggling because of it. I want to be married because I want a family, _my_ family. I know you can be one without being married, it’s just for me… It’s important. To have that, you know? Something I can point at and say ‘that’s who I belong with’. Both romantically and for legal purposes.”

Stiles ignores the last comment, slaps his hand down on Derek’s thigh, stares at him wildly for a second but his gaze quickly turn loving. He takes Derek’s hands, kisses them both in turn. “Derek Hale, you better fucking say yes to this here proposal because we are going to the courthouse tomorrow to get fucking married.”

Derek frowns, “What?”

“I am not letting you go one more day thinking you’re not part of a family. I’ll pick you up at the station after your shift.”

“But you don’t want to get married.” Derek says stupidly, trying to keep up.

Stiles rolls his eyes, “Of course I do. I want to be with you forever, dipshit. But I also have problems concerning abandonment and that makes me freak out sometimes, especially about us. But I can deal with that shit and still be married. So, are we doing this or what?”

There’s something so determined, yet so easy in Stiles’ eyes and in his words, and it feels so right. Derek says the only thing he can say. Derek says, “Yes.”

  



End file.
